it all goes down from here
by VampyrycPineapple
Summary: She helps them move in. Thalia-centric.


::_one_::

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She helps them move in.

She's bringing in some old boxes full of Annabeth's clothes when she hears a loud bang followed by the unique screech of metal hitting tile. Percy races to where the sound came from and drags a drenched Nico from the vague direction of the downstairs bathroom.

Annabeth - in her hormonal fury - prepares to start chewing him out, when she just bursts out in laughter at the sight of them: a slightly damp son of Poseidon inching away from a soaked twenty year old, one who could face the monsters of the underworld with a grin, and was looking positively frightened of a six-months-pregnant Annabeth.

She may have a family with the Hunters, but the house never felt more like home then it did then.

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::_two_::

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Of course, as all demigod tales go, it ends in tragedy.

Annabeth and Percy's daughter is only a month old when her parents were ambushed by monsters near a strip mall.

She was just passing by, and she knew that if they could just get out, she could set off the store of Greek fire hidden in the basement of the music shop.

She can see the hazy figures of her friends fighting through the smoke from one of the Greek fire grenades an empousai set off.

The smoke clears for a second and her eyes lock with Annabeths'.

She hesitates.

Percy looks over; he mouths something, "Do it."

Her lower lip trembles.

They're fighting back to back now, completely overwhelmed with the monsters.

She can see the shiny streaks on Annabeth's face, and realizes that they've been saying their goodbyes.

Against her will, her legs begin running to the music store.

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::_three_::

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They're both crying when she takes her best friends' daughter over to Camp. Her soft sobs blending in with the babe's ear-shatteringly loud wails.

Dimly, in the back of her mind, she realizes that Annabeth never got to tell her what the girl's name was.

This just sets her off again.

She spends the night in cabin three; neither Poseidon, Artemis or her father have a problem with it.

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::_four_::

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She becomes Zoe, in a sense.

The Hunt becomes her life.

She has disdain for most of the boys she crosses paths with and is hopelessly outdated when she tries to talk with some of the newer Hunters.

She hears of the deaths of Jason and Piper and Nico and Katie and Travis and Reyna and Dakota and Clarisse and Malcolm and Lou Ellen and Frank and Hazel and Will and Nyssa and Leo and Annabeth's daughter and all the people who fought for Olympus.

She's the only one left now.

And she realizes, unlike Zoe, she can only take so much joy from the Hunt.

She's never been so sad on the inside.

She figures that she probably should've thought out the greater implications of being immortal.

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::_five_::

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Camp gets burned down; it's a tragic accident.

But more importantly, somehow the borders got shredded.

There are a thousand homeless demigods and even more that weren't even there that suddenly have no place to stay for the summer.

Artemis goes to see if there is any way they can help out when she suggest the house_. It already has enough protections around its borders, and—and_ here she faltered for a second, and adds in softly _and Percy and Annabeth wouldn't like their house to be wasting away when so many demigods need a home._

They gather what they can salvage and begin walking.

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::_six_::

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The house is covered in a thick layer of dust when they arrive.

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::_seven_::

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There's an incident with some monsters and some pomegranates from the underworld.

Monster attacks become once in a lifetime experiences.

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::_eight_::

Chiron goes off one day.

He's never seen again.

::_nine_::

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By this time, it became a new hazing technique to dare newer campers (the term had long since become honorary; they all lived in a house) to enter one of the rooms that were left alone for heroes that they never knew the names of.

One day, a son of Poseidon enters the master bedroom.

He finds a faded picture of a guy who could've been his brother and a girl who could've been a daughter of Athena.

The next day, he was visited by his father.

He was told never to steal things from people who had already died heroes.

She watches distantly, her mind not fully paying attention anymore.

She offers to take the picture back for the poor kid. She smooths back the now wrinkled photo and smiles in remembrance.

Teardrop stains were left there for anyone who dared enter to see.

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::_ten_::

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One night, after everyone was in bed, she climbs up to the roof.

It's a chilly night, and she almost leaves to go get her jacket.

But she doesn't.

It is the three thousandth anniversary of the Battle of Manhattan.

Eventually, in the early hours of the morning Artemis joins her.

"You have served me well Thalia Grace. I am proud of you; I couldn't have chosen a better leader for my Hunters."

"They're preparing to tell the mortals about our existence, milady."

"I know. But that's not why you brought it up, is it."

"No."

They sat in silence until the sunrise began.

"Milady…?"

"Yes, Thalia?"

"I know I've stood by your side for so many centuries now… It's just-it's just, I think that I've seen so many plans try and fail… and…"

"You have served me well Thalia Grace."

When the others finally get around to waking up, Artemis informs them of Thalia's passing.

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_(In the background, Thalia's successor knows in her heart that Thalia is finally with her friends; exactly where she belongs.)_

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**Review/CC please.**


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